The iPhone Is Getting Easier to Dislike

After spending two years as a darling of the digerati, Apple's iPhone has started getting some hate mail. And it's not coming from people happy with other devices who resent the fuss over this one gadget, but from folks who had until recently used or admired the iPhone.

At first, Apple could blame its partner, AT&T Wireless, to which it gave the exclusive right to provide service for the iPhone. AT&T's coverage has had issues before, but they're harder to overlook on a device as Web-friendly as the iPhone--and AT&T, in turn, seems unable to keep up with the Internet appetites of its iPhone users.

So back in February, influential tech blogger Om Malikswitched from AT&T to T-Mobile, citing "static, the dropped calls and above all the shoddy call quality." Others have followed; the TechCrunch blog has been particularlyvituperative about what it sees as AT&T's inadequacies.

(I can't say that I've seen these issues on the iPhone 3GS loaned by Apple's PR department. But I also haven't been using it as my primary phone; since my review ran, I've mainly employed it for Internet access, often on WiFi networks at home or work instead of AT&T's network.)

AT&T, in turn, did itself no favors when it proved unable to support two advertised features of Apple's new iPhone 3.0 software, each of which it has long offered on other phones: multimedia messaging and "tethered" sharing of its Internet connection with a laptop.

But lately, the blame falls on Apple for its treatment of the iPhone's App Store--the only simple, supported way to add third-party programs to the device. When the Cupertino, Calif., firm announced the App Store in March of 2008, it advertised it as offering relatively few restrictions on developers: As long as you didn't try to ship a virus, an app to display porn or a total bandwidth hog, you could write what you wanted.

This isn't just a matter of inconvenience or delay for iPhone developers. An App Store rejection amounts to a death sentence--one handed down only after months of work writing code that can't readily be used on another phone platform.

Earlier this month, Apple made this situation even worse by not only rejecting one application--a program Google had written to connect to its Google Voice service--but also evicting such previously-approved, third-party Google Voice software as GV Mobile and Voice Central from the App Store.

There's evidence suggesting that AT&T leaned on Apple to get those applications yanked, but it's Apple's name on the iPhone. Whoever's at fault, people are not amused.

Longtime Mac developer Steven Frank wrote that he was "furious" with Apple and AT&T, calling the iPhone market "toxic." TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington wrote that he'd even pay a $175 early-termination fee to quit the iPhone. Telecom blogger Dave Zatzpronounced himself "about done with both Apple and AT&T if things continue like this."

The Federal Communications Commission has taken notice as well; as my colleague Cecilia Kangwrote on Friday, it's asked Apple and AT&T to explain the Google Voice rejections:

Did Apple act alone, or in consultation with AT&T, in deciding to reject the Google Voice application and related applications? If the latter, please describe the communications between Apple and AT&T in connection with the decision to reject Google Voice.

This isn't just a public-relations or regulatory problem for Apple. That company no longer has just the ham-handed rivalry of Microsoft's Windows Mobile and Research In Motion's BlackBerry--each held back by years of inattention to usability and aging code bases that weren't built for such core iPhone virtues as easy add-on-program installation. Today, both Google's Android software and Palm's Pre offer compelling alternatives to the iPhone and AT&T; Frank, for instance, plans to switch to the Pre, while Arrington wrote that he'll get T-Mobile's new, Android-powered myTouch.

IPhone owners, what's your take on these latest developments? Are you content with the vast selection of programs already available on the App Store? If you're not happy with Apple's control of that supply, are you thinking about switching phones? If so, what might your next device be?

I am generally content with my iPhone 3G and the available applications. AT&T's coverage could be better. My biggest concern is how an employee of Apple's iPhone maker, Foxconn, committed suicide after being roughed up by Foxconn's security staff, and how Foxconn employees caused his family to be intimidated from talking to a New York Times reporter.

I'm sure most folks will think this is a ridiculous comment, but I don't understand how the cell market remains the way it has for years, meaning specific phones tied to specific carriers. By now, I would have thought that either consumer pressure or government warnings would have broken up this strange situation. Not exactly a monopoly or a command economy, but essentially a limitation on choice, dictated by agreements outside the control of the consumer.

I think if Apple could offer the iPhone anywhere, some of the complaints would ease. And I think different cell companies would offer compelling incentives to purchase an iPhone through them. I also think opening up the carrier options could resolve some, not all, of the app issues, particularly those with Google. As for the other app issues, not sure if that is a problem, as it probably affects a much smaller number of users overall. The Google issued reached critical mass.

You mentioned you received an iPhone from the Apple PR department...my first reaction is that "independent" journalists should not be receiving gratuities from the companies they are reviewing and writing about. In a best-case scenario, it smacks of conflict of interest, and in a worst-case scenario they are buying influence. And is this phone an off-the-shelf normal product, or a souped-up version built especially for the journalist?
It seems to me that the approach taken by Consumer Reports magazine is best...on a product they are testing and reviewing they randomly purchase the product in the product domain to prevent testing of a specially prepared version of the product, and at a minimum to prevent the appearance of a conflict of interest.
I would hope the Washington Post has considered this issue....

The problem with offering it elsewhere is the R&D money has to be paid off. Let's say it takes $100 million to make this phone. If Apple only has $50 million, they would have to look outside for another $50 million. If AT&T is willing to pony up the $50 million in exchange for a vendor lock.... that's the way capitalism works. They want a return on investment. Maybe if Apple were disallowed to seek external funding assistance then we wouldn't have an iphone at all. It's easy to wave one's arms around and say 'it shouldn't be so!' but the reality of the situation is different. It's a business opportunity - just like Clear Channel and XM Radio. Clear Channel invested in XM Radio in exchange for having 5 (or so) channels that are programmed by Clear Channel with commercials, etc. Is that "wrong"?

I have a first-generation iPhone that I use for making calls, receiving/sending email, text messaging, and the Internet. I have downloaded only 1 app: Pandora. My only complaint is that there is a millisecond delay when I'm using the phone.

What is tarnishing the iPhone's reputation is quite similar to what tarnished Apple's reputation when it had only the Macintosh. Apple likes to control its ecosystem. Because Apple controls tightly the App Store, it has made many software developers and now Google mad.

I still feel the weak link is the AT&T service which is crap. Apple really needs to open it up to other carriers. But I know two people who bought Palm Pre's recently and have had all kinds of problems. Way worse than I ever had with my iphone.I played with a Pre and it feels more like a Microsoft product-- clunky awkward and not well thought out. The iphone software is so well designed that it will probably stay light years ahead of competitors for a long time. It is becoming the standard of business and individuals alike because of it's design, amazing app store (despite their rigid control over it or maybe because of it) and it's intuitive operating system. The fact is that Apple is the leader-- everyone else just follows.

I expect monopolistic, ultra-proprietary behavior from AT&T (once called Ma Bell). But for Apple to turn to such Microsoftian behavior as single-carrier exclusive deals, arbitrary and capricious rejection of iPhone Apps, etc. is sad. Especially the bait-and-switch they pulled over iPhone Apps - promising easy, open access for developers and then getting greedy, heavy-handed and unfair.

I was about to purchase an iPhone for all the neat bird-watching Apps, but I cannot support such bad behavior.

the pundits seek nirvana from their cellphones and expect us to follow suit. as long as my phone works and i can get email on it, who cares?

i had a palm for 5 years. some glitches but it worked for the most part. when it gave up the ghost i got an iphone. simply because it was the cheapest smartphone att offered me. i used to have t-mobile, but the coverage in Armpit, IN was poor for the road warrior.

all the rest of it is just much ado about nothing. geeks seeking fulfilment in gadgets. perhaps they should find some social causes instead.

Responding to teamn and musings about tying phones to specific carriers. The reasons are rooted in regulation and policy. Here we are moving to an IP-enabled world but radio frequencies are still managed along the principles of circuit switching, not packed switching. Phones are wired to work on certain frequencies. This is the direct consequence of spectrum policy, which has not responded to changes in technology. Spectrum is organized like roadways except that every phone has its private lane and you can't change lanes if a spot opens up to your left or right. AT&T and most networks are built that way. Not much hope for real improvement until consumer demand requires major shift in commercial wirekess service. Alternatively, government policy could hasten change. That could bring to the use of our airwaves the same mind-boggling kinds of channge that the Internet brought to our use of information networks.

To me, the latest brouhaha is painting a rather skewed picture of the iPhone as restricted. There are 65,000 apps approved for the iPhone. My main problem with the app store is that there are so many apps it can be hard to discover ones that provide functions I hadn't thought about.

For example, I just recently learned about the app CardStar, which allows you to enter the bar code numbers for all those grocery store cards, video store cards, etc,, and generate a bar code on the screen. I wouldn't have ever thought to look for such an app, but it immediately was very useful once I learned about it.

Although I wish Apple would permit the Google Voice-related apps, people should understand that AT&T is driving this. As the story states, many of these apps had already made it through the approval process. They were then pulled down. I wonder what changed? A little pressure from the carrier, perhaps?

One can still use Google Voice by dialing, by the way. With a properly created number in one's address book, the process can even be automated.

I use Skype on the iPhone, and their are other VOIP applications available as well. What makes the Google Voice apps different is that they use AT&Ts network, and this is what brings AT&T down on Apple.

I realize that Apple-bashing is a popular profession, and that bloggers like Micheal Arrington make a living by writing inflammatory headlines about Apple to draw hits. Anyone who pays any attention can see the patterns over time and identify these bloggers. The more strident the article, the better from their perspective.

The Washington Post should be embarrassed by its relationship to TeleCrunch. Rob, I think you know better, but I also expect that you have to tow the company line.

I have had the iphone 3g for about a year. Calls have surprisingly been ok for me. Two issues however which may make me switch come next christmas/Deepawali/Hannukah/Eed/Agnostics r us .. sale:

1. A crack has appeared inside the screen which seems ot be getting bigger. It's not the screen, it's like there is a layer underneath which ahs a hairline fracture

2. OS 3.0 SUCKS. Since I downloaded 3.0 software on my 3G, the phone first crashed and I had to restore from backup, and since then it has been a drag. SLOW as a snail to pen up even SMS. It seems to think a lot before it obeys my commands! Darn it! This day and age!?

I might start to stalk the Palm pre pretty soon and then court it too..

Apple has always conducted it's self this way. If it wasn't for the iPod followed by the iPhone this POS Company wouldn't exist today. France threatened to sue this miserable POS Company unless they correct their iTunes app but Apple instead decided not to sell their product in France. Several other countries have files similar suites. Apple will be the only company in modern history to PUT IT’S SELF OUT OF BUSINESS. LOL

If you think there's a single mobile phone on the market that's all things to all people, then I've got some lovely ocean-front property in New Mexico to sell you.

I bought my first mobile phone with AT&T in 1998, dumped them because of poor customer service in 2004 and went to Verizon, then switched back to AT&T last month, so I could get an iPhone. Why? Even though Verizon offers signal in the Metro tunnels, the AT&T network gave me much better signal in my home. And the iPhone? It just plain works for me.

So, to recap: if your phone - or network - doesn't work for you ... um ... change it.

Just a short note from Germany. We use the Iphone here but with T-Com which in the states is called T Mobile. No problems. We also can purchase a phone and get anyones chip to run it. It appears the handi system here years ahead of the states. Just my opionion.

I have to say, I'm not surprised at all to see Apple preventing outside developers from writing software for the iPhone. Apple started on that path from the early days of the Mac. Somehow Apple got the reputation that it favored openness, but I've always felt that Apple clamped down on outside developers from the get-go. That's why there is much more variety of programs on the Windows platform. While this has made for fewer incompatibility problems, users have always been locked in to Apple's software, and now we see that attitude carrying over to the iPhone.

After my seven-year-old Nokia stopped working, I went to my local ATT store in mid-June. They were sold out of the new 3Gs, but offered me last year's 3G model for $99, plus a $35 monthly fee that covered e-mail, Internet, and unlimited texting (which I'd never had before). My wife and I just competed a 2,500-mile drive that took us from Detroit to mid-Coast Maine and back and then to Traverse City. We were able to access telephone service, texting, e-mail, weather and other applications all the way with good sound and no cutoffs. We've only had it now for six weeks, but so far I'm happy.

I agree with askgees and shrubberr. Apple likes to blame other entities for it's market share woes, but a lot of it is self-inflicted by their (dare I say it?) monopolistic approach to develooper access. Not surprising to me in the least.

The iPhone is the bomb. Sure, it has some problems but compared to the rest of the crap out there it is marvelous. ATT sucks but you can't have everything. Check out GloomBoom.com for some real economic insight.

The lack of MMS support is still confounding. Even the attempted MMS messages that come into my 3G have login links that don't work online. I was sending picture messages in 2002 on Verizon with no issue. What's the deal?!?!? When I tell people I didn't get their MMS they kind of laugh like they don't believe me b/c this phone does everything else so well.

I'm in advertising. Google's "portal" is more popular than the AppStore. NOBODY IS MORE CONTROLLING THAN GOOGLE, VERIZON, COMCAST. So? Each invested & built it's own ecosystem. VERIZON, COMCAST could easily allow GoogleVoice to be seamlessly integrated in their individual packages.

In the advertising business it is well established custom that the best, strongest, most qualified, current mailing lists are NEVER for rent, the ONLY way you can get such mailing list owner to allow use of such mailing list is if you have one of LIKE VALUE to swap. What did Google offer to Apple (other than invading Apple's ecosystem without granting Apple like access to Google's ecosystem) ditto Verizon, Comcast, et al.

I waited two years to get an iPhone. I bought a BB Storm thinking it could be as good as an iPhone. But a few months later, I purchased an iPod touch and...three months after that broke my contract with VZW and got myself a 3G S.

I absolutely love this thing to death. The horror that is AT&T has not set in yet, I suppose, because I'm still in my honeymoon phase.

People please. The relation btw ATT and Apple is to protect American companies. The Iphone cannot technically compete with newer GSM phones sold in the rest of the world. Newer GSM phones have 12 megapixel cameras or HD video plus high speed Internet, with higher resolution than the Iphone. Apple does not want to partner with other carriers because that would give ATT cause to partner with LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericcson etc. If ATT started offering higher end GSM phones, Iphone sales would plummet. check out GSMarena.com and see 4 yourself.

For me it's simple: when my AT&T contract expires I'll be getting a different phone and selling my 3G to someone else. AT&T is charging a premium to use the iPhone with sub-standard service when compared to T-Mobile.

I don't think the nit-picky comments from some super-techies on application development policies are even a remote reflection of general consumer satisfaction. So the headline and opening of this article is completely misleading and sensational.

The fact is the iPhone is a computer and a phone in your pocket. It's truly unreal. And the Apple/Mac quality (hardware, graphics, integration) blows any other smart phone away.

That said, I agree it needs to support multimedia messaging. And how about running Flash?

I have had a T-Mobile phone (service) for a little over 7 years now and wouldn't think of switching to another provider! Ok, so I did have a nightmare of a time with the HTC/T-Mobile Dash but other than that, the CS they provided more than made up for any trouble I've ever had with them.

I've done my research when I worked in the telecomm industry and I knew what Verizon was up to (corporate thugs), AT&T and Sprint. I saw it coming down the pipe.

I wanted to stay out of their way and have a service that wasn't trying to shove it down my throat. Sprint and Nextel (kind of ironic I had BOTH services before they merged and they both sucked) and I've been happy ever since.

I've told people all along there would come a day when they would despise the iPhone like the minions they are...and true to my word, that time has arrived!

People have:

1. Stood in line for this phone
2. Ordered this phone pre-date market arrival
3. Robbed others for this phone
4. Illegally unlocked this phone
5. Probably even made love to this phone for all I care...

The bottom line is? It's all coming back to haunt them all! Muahahahahahaaaa!

Understand trends, learn NOT to follow them, and you'll always find a bit of happiness and clarity in this ping-pong of a telecomm system that'll have you loonier than Jerry Lewis off his diabetes meds!

The iPhone is my first phone with a data connection. I do like having what I previously didn't have in that regard. Overall, I like the phone. But, I'm mad about not having the advertised feature of MMS capability. I'm also disappointed in the "Voice Control," which does not work seamlessly with a bluetooth earpiece. I do not like AT&T: The coverage here in San Francisco is much poorer than when I had Sprint. I have many more dropped calls, and the service is expensive. If another carrier becomes available for the iPhone, I will drop AT&T regardless of penalty... I may consider a different phone if Apple doesn't get onboard with some of the basic features I expect, like better voice dial.

Apple is doing well because they treat their customers well. But they need to take a step forward and actually communicate with developers. Stony silence may have served them back in the era where developers didn't routinely talk to each other en masse with social networking tools. Now it just makes them look unresponsive.

Microsoft instead chooses to distrust and mistreat their customers; they're actually pretty good to software developers.

I remain (for the moment) an iPhone user and developer. Despite their strengths, Android and the Palm WebOS platform remain a few steps behind Apple. This could change, though; Palm, in particular, seems to really understand the power that comes from trusting its developers and users.

P.S. Most of the apps are purely silly and a waste of time. I bought one that I thought would be actually productive, and it was virtually useless. Fine if you like lots of distractions, but I'd like a better way to locate and try out more useful things.... Mostly, I just want the basic features on my phone that other phones have.

My new Palm Pre is great, and it seems they copied some of the iPhone features. The one reason I never made the leap to the iPhone & AT&T is so I could keep my grandfather (cheap) unlimited voice & data plan from Sprint. I would have to pay double for my current data & voice plan as a new customer to AT&T or any other carrier.

I also read Palm Pre supports Flash Player, and as Flash/ActionScript developer, I think this is a huge advantage for Palm Pre users since AS is common in most programmers' repertoire. There are not as many developers who can develop iPhone apps in Objective C/COCOA, assuming their apps would eventually be 'approved' by Apple.

Although I don't use the iPhone, I'm a long-time Apple user and fan, with the one complaint that their products are expensive. Their decision to go with AT&T was also a huge mistake.

I just switched away from Verizon (a regular cell phone) in order to get the iPhone 3G-S, and I've been very happy so far. The only real disappointment with AT&T is not being able to use the phone in the Metro system, which Verizon has an exclusive deal with. I don't ride the Metro that much, so it's not a dealbreaker for me.

Apart from Metro, I've only had a couple occasions where the AT&T signal was weak or non-existent, but that was a problem occasionally with Verizon, too.

As for the apps, I've been satisfied so far. I already spend way too much time with this little gadget! I don't recall Apple ever being good in terms of third-party software, going all the way back to the original Mac. I was shocked that Apple opened up the iPhone the way they have.

I have had my IPHONE 3G for 1 year. I bought it on a "Whim". I left Verizon after many many years of great service. In the last year I have had nothing but great service from my Iphone and ATT. The apps I have downloaded are very useful to me. I didn't download apps just to download them.

If Apple and ATT want to be exclusive so be it. I thinks it's called competition. I have played with another ATT phone, Windows Mobile, off and on since I bought my Iphone and IMHO the windows mobile apps that I could find don't even come close to the Iphone apps I have.

I was so impressed with the Iphone I went out and bought an IMAC 2 weeks later because I got tired of having to wait 5 minutes to use my Windows computer so it could load all of the windows junk. I am surfing the web or checking my EMAIL on my IMAC even before my Windows PC has gotten to the Welcome screen. And BTW in the year I have had my IMAC it has NEVER locked up or crashed. And that is the same for my Iphone.

I may replace my Iphone 3G next year if Apple comes out with a 4G model until then I will keep enjoying my Apple Iphone 3G.

I’ve had a number of cell phones, but the iPhone has changed my perception of what a cell phone is and what it should do. I'm not oblivious to the problems with AT&T and believe that the iPhone should be compatible with all mobile carriers. However, regardless of the issue I won’t give up my iPhone. Compared to the iPhone, other forms of mobile communication are analogous to sending smoke signals or beating on drums!

This is a BS story. If you don't like your iphone, buy an android phone. Tech journalists of late love announcing that they're going to get rid of their iphones. Maybe they're hoping the weight of their editorials will convince Apple to cater to their demands.

Guess what, I would bet the vast majority of iphone users couldn't care less about Google Voice.

I was thrilled with my iPhone 3G when I bought it last November. The lack of multimedia messaging has been the biggest bummer. The one thing I have never been impressed with is, ironically, the PHONE. Finally, they've invented a gadget with so many things on it they forgot to pay attention to the originally intended purpose!

I've noticed the quality of the connections declining for both data and voice, especially since the introduction of the 3GS. (I live in San Francisco.) It's gotten to the point that I'm seriously considering dumping AT&T when my contract comes up, even if that means I have to switch away from the iPhone. I doubt I will invest in another iPhone, and I generally don't advise people to buy one.

I haven't identified a successor phone yet. The products change so quickly, it won't make sense to start looking until I'm ready to buy.

I've noticed Apple's acting more and more like Microsoft. Now, my entire family owns Mac's (6 in my household) and I am about ready to purchase a high end notebook for work. I am looking at Linux. I've had it with these heavy handed, too big for their own good, corporations like Apple, AT&T, Microsoft, IBM, Dell, et al. Oh, and I *specify* computers for work. We bought over 100 Mac's around two years ago. If the Linux box I am looking at works, Apple can kiss our business "hood-bye". I dumped Windows boxes when I bought the Mac's because Microsoft's customer service was lousy. I'll just as quickly dump Apple for the same reason.... and I wont be quiet about it, expect the ripple effect to cost Apple dearly.

All valid points. While Apple is hardly blameless in this scrambled market, the real culprit is AT&T. AT&T doesn't care one bit about Apple / Macintosh market. Their documentation is lousy, customer service is non-existent, DSL since March of this year is fatally flawed and slowed to a crawl. Please Apple, ditch this third-world telecom and go with another.

Have had iphone 3G for about year now. Still no picture messaging is shameful!?!? Also this is my third 3G the first two conked out within 4 months. App store is now useless because its 10 millions pieces of crap surrounding the 100 or so god apps good luck finding them. Apple is really good at making a new groundbreaking product and then annually updating it incremenatally tossing minor upgrades with it.

I bought my iPhone for 300 bucks and love it. No issues, not crying about apps that are or not offered, works well, servers me well, worth the dollars... even if they choose to have a bunch of chinks make it rather than US citizens.

I do not use the iPhone or any other Apple product. The fiercely proprietary nature of ALL Apple products and software is a drawback that I am unwilling to overlook, however elegant the cosmetic design of their products.

Apple's products have always been "selfish." For instance, Macs and their software have always been adequate in their ability to accept files created on other applications running under different operating systems. However, data created ON Macs require so much alteration to be able to be used by other, different computer systems that their value is lost in any heterogenous computer environment. It is sometimes easier to print and then scan an Apple-created document into an OCR than to try to directly import its data into a Windows or Unix-based application.

And regarding AT&T, well, if you want a reliable cellular phone in the United States you really must go with Verizon. The coverage of their network is far more comprehensive than any other carrier. It might behoove the folks at Verizon to start offering the most advanced phones, an area in which they seem almost deliberately to lag behind.

AT&T resisting attempts by GOOGLE to put wireless companies out of business? What a shock!

A very happy iPhone and Mac user for over 2 years. Happy enough I wouldn't even look at other phones. The integration and ease of use is light years better than the BlackBerry I used the previous 5 years.

I purchased the iPhone 3G S as my first iPhone and, in fact, as my first Apple product. While I am decidedly not a cellphone connoisseur, I am thoroughly impressed with the iPhone product, warts and all. The App Store selection, the iPod integration, and the YouTube/video functions in the 3G S version make for a multifunctioning tool that never ceases to amaze. While many decry the lack of MMS, my concern lies squarely with the lack of tethering capability; I haven't a need for a landline and don't care for installing wifi routers and digital tv/internet bundles in my home. The omission of tethering aside, the iPhone does an impressive even if imperfect job of seamlessly connecting visual, audio, and web communication.

I did not renew my Apple iPhone Developer Program and do not intend to develop applications for the iPhone for the reasons stated in this article. The iPhone app market is so saturated and so controlled by Apple, developing for the iPhone is like a roll of the dice (and it's also not easy even for very seasoned developers). It would surprise me it the DoJ did not pursue a cases against Apple for monopolistic behavior in regards to the way iPhone apps are sold and distributed. I also happen to own, use and enjoy an iPhone and a MacBook Pro, so I am not a stereotypical Apple basher. But their behavior must clearly be corrected, either through free-market competition or through government intervention.it if

i'm a brand new iphone user, and am very happy. i'm amazed by the selection of apps and functionality of the device. my only complaints are the short battery life, and shaky at&t service (i no longer get a signal at my office).

apart from that i think this article is adding fuel to a very small, if nonexistent, fire. why should apple be punished for its success? apple can sign exclusive deals with whatever phone carrier it wants, and accept or reject apps as it sees fit. as the tech industry morphs, evolves, and consolidates services the phone carriers, software companies, and hardware companies will all cry foul at every turn. apple is always on the cutting edge, and has great business sense. not their fault others can't seem to keep up.

I had sprint with the treo 700 for 3 years. Sprint was ok but the treo was showing its age. I waited for the Palm Pre. I bought the Palm Pre. 3 days later, I returned the Pre and bought the iPhone. I am very satisfied. For all the hype, the Pre is not ready for prime time. Perhaps if they have enough time, they will get better. The iPhone works so much better than the Pre. Out of the box, the Pre had glitches. Not the iPhone. ATT could be better, but it is adequate.

Delighted to see Rob call out the blithering fanboyz who are cult-like in their submission to all things Apple.
Of course the Pre is better and has better customer service. My experience in Apple stores 9I own a mac desktop) has been so haughty as to be comical. They did not stand behind the computer when it blew a hard-drive at 14 months and were truly offended that I had not bought the extended warranty.
They make MSFT look like kind and benevolent people.
Sorry Jobs is ill - but his company is too big for its britches and riding for a fall.

I recall from my OLD days in the 80's and 90's how APPLE controlled everything that flew or grew and sued everyone which attempted to encroach upon it's turf.

Iphone controversy rearing it's head now is ho-hum....better wake up to the control freaks at APPLE.

I dumped Verizon and picked up the Iphone last month with no regrets. I knew what I was getting into from many discussions with users. ATT may not be the best service provider, but not the worst. Here in the DC Metro area my only gripe was that I still can't connect underground even though I was promised that ATT had service agreements which WOULD allow the Iphone to connect throughout the underground. Who's to blame? Metro? ATT?

For all of it's faults the Iphone gives me a screen I can READ in any light, with print large enough, and an easy interface to understand. Even a PC guy like me can understand it!

I will commend the staff at the ATT stores. They were helpful and very sensitive to my needs as a newbie. Verizon dealers are a joke- snotty telenerds with no people skills. Not so at ATT stores.

So catch up with APPLE history and don't cry over spilled milk. APPLE is a crass big brother hell bent on controlling it's market at any cost. To believe otherwise is ignoring past history.

Hard to believe that more than a small percentage of iPhone users care about the Google app rejection. My biggest problem with the App Store is that there are 50,000 apps. I like Apple products because of their emphasis on quality over quantity, but the app store is overwhelming and most of the apps are junk, although out of 50,000 apps, if only 5-10% are good, then that's quite a few good apps; it's just a pain to try in find them. Also, to you xtg1281, where do you get off with your comment about "Chinks"? What makes you think you can publicly say this kind of racist drivel? Do you feel safe because you're essentially anonymous?

There's nothing like watching the petite bourgeoisie spoon-clang and bib-dribble at the same time that an allegedly "pure" company isn't doing what they want. Self-righteous nonsense.

What do *I* care that some developer is "furious" and will pay the termination fee? Does that affect me? No. Will we have proof such a childish threat was carried out? No. And do we generally care? No.

No, the iPhone is not the darling of the digerati; it is the darling of the media. If you go to cell-phone discussion fora, you will see that many knowledgeable people are unimpressed with the iPhone and prefer phones running operating systems such as Symbian or Windows Mobile. An iconic interface, downloading apps, and Internet access are all things that I have been using since the Treo 300 came out.

No surprise that there's no such thing as the perfect company or perfect product. For years, Apple enjoyed the perks of being a niche market player. Fewer products, better quality, less media attention. They have grown their business but are trying to maintain a similar business model. Right now, they're maintaining success by continuing to make great products where consumers are doing a lot of the pulling. At some point, though, Apple is going to have to adjust to being a larger player. That means improving their business relationships, or they won't be able to adequately respond to consumer pull.

I bought the first generation iPhone, and have been angry since. Starting with the $200 price reduction, then giving me only a $100 gift card for being first.

I have not upgraded, living with the dreadful Edge network, because I don't want to be stuck in an AT&T contract for another two years.

I figure Apple will have a new iPhone next summer, and will have a new carrier. I'm hoping they open it up and let its loyal customers choose the network they want. But I've given up on Apple. They've become just as bad as Microsoft ever was.

By next summer I will buy a new phone and see what's available in the market then. Hopefully, I can find a good smart phone I love with the network I'd prefer. And if it's not the iPhone, I can live with that.

When something is popular it immediately becomes a target. No smart phone is perfect. I love my iPhone because it does 90% or what I want it to. If bashing it for the 10% Apple and AT&T have failed to deliver is a way to get attention, let the techies, geeks and bloggers vent. Beside, most of the world is light years ahead of the US as far as cell/smart phone technology is concerned. We should all be harping about that.

ITunes has to be the worst software out there. It messed up my music library and it took me two months to undo what it did. The exclusivity is ridiculous and I beleive that open software would benefit the consumers. Apple will not allow openness because it would diminish their return on investment. It's always about money.

I've had my cell phone with AT&T for about 5 years. It is used as my primary, and only, phone. I've had at least 5 different phones during this time, currently a BlackBerry. I've never experienced the service problems that all these iPhone users complain about. Has anyone ever thought that maybe the iPhone is just a piece of junk?

I feel the AT&T pain - they really are not good enough for the iPhone. But the pros of an iPhone still run laps around the cons. I'm sure the Pre is cool, but I'll be upgrading to iPhone 3GS soon. Pre will never be an iPod as well as an excellent mobile device.

Boblingen is right (see below), and I think T-Punkt and Vodaphone both have iPhone in Europe. Not that you could hear your phone in O'Donovan's anyway...
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Just a short note from Germany. We use the
Iphone here but with T-Com which in the states is called T Mobile. No problems. We also can purchase a phone and get anyones chip to run it. It appears the handi system here years ahead of the states. Just my opionion.

I have to say I love my iPhone 3G; I'm obsessed with it actually. It's everything I ever dreamed one of these devices would be. It has been very useful to me and I use all functions - email, phone, internet, GPS, contacts, iPod, camera - don't text very much. I love being able to synch with my work calender and contacts. All the apps rock - Shazam is the bomb. Wish there was a better voice recorder app.

Only 1 real problems: 1) connections can be slllooowwwwwww and 2) had big problems with no service while on vacation in South Dakota and traveling in other more rural areas. I blame these problems on AT&T.

I had my first experience wishing my iPhone 3G could tether to my laptop on a round trip from Boston to Washington, D.C. All around us people were online with their laptops using other company's laptop Internet connection devices.

I had to be content with the little iPhone screen to read and send email and look at the Internet.

Attention Apple: I'm not going to upgrade to a new iPhone unless it has this feature.

(I can't say that I've seen these issues on the iPhone 3GS loaned by Apple's PR department. But I also haven't been using it as my primary phone; since my review ran, I've mainly employed it for Internet access, often on WiFi networks at home or work instead of AT&T's network.)

Rob, maybe you should use the iPhone on the AT&T network before you complain about the service.

I admit that I have some disdain over the iPhone simply because it seems like everyone and their mothers have one, or are abandoning their old phones/carriers to populate Planet ATT while I appear to be the out of towner from Verizon City with my BB Storm (which is a MUCH better and faster phone with the recent software upgrade. It's no iPhone, but I'll take it.)

I'm not partial to any particular brand. I've used Microsoft and Palm smartphones in the past, and I love my Crack, er, Black-Berry :) I am very satisfied with Verizon's service since angrily divorcing Sprint 7 years ago. Is Verizon perfect? By all means, no. Is there really a "perfect" carrier out there? I suppose it really IS a matter of which carrier you're loyal to and are satisfied with.

Is the iPhone a cool device? Yes. It is. But to me, it's just a grown-up toy. I don't have time to install all of these crazy apps and games. And as one reader commented about, there are other more serious issues in our world than iPhone/ATT vs. the rest of the telecomm world. Just stick with whatever carrier/phone makes you happy...

Amazing the kind of traffic a little Google News linkage can bring... now, to address some of the points made here:

@sj9096: It's a loaner phone--none of the hardware I test is given as a gratuity of any kind, and it all goes back to the same PR folks in the end. This is no secret; I've written about this many times before, sometimes at considerable length.

@jkh1970: Nobody's telling me to toe any line or (or "tow" it either). I cited TechCrunch because it's a rather influential site, whatever you think of Arrington as a writer or as a human being.

@wiredog: I like you, but I think you're nuts to call Windows Mobile's app-install procedure "easiest." Not even Microsoft will make that claim!

@collacch: iTunes does support MP3--has done so in every version, shipped, unlike Windows Media Player.

Finally, to the folks asking or complaining about why they can't use their iPhones in the subway parts of Metro: You can't do that today because the only signal underground is Verizon's CDMA signal, which is incompatible with GSM phones like the iPhone. (So anybody who told you AT&T had some deal with Verizon to provide access in Metro was making stuff up.) But starting this fall, all the major carriers will begin offering service in Metro's underground stations and tunnels.

I was very disappointed with the iPhone (iPod touch) capabilities. I would prefer something that as a personal communications device is more like a personal computer than a personal plaything. I believe Apple likes to control this environment to target profits yet I don't think that is really effective for them. The new iDisk capability helps but it is tied to MobileMe and it is not the full capability that is available on OS X. I do not wish to purchase and maintain thousands of applications to provide basic system capabilities that are unduly cumbersome, that can never be tightly integrated and should have been provided on the device in the first place. I would also like to see a unified development and user environment for OS X and OS 3 that converge rather than diverge over time.

Sadly, since the new 3GS has come out, most of my internet apps do not work. I am assuming this is because AT&T can not handle the influx of users. My apps will regularly crash or simply respond with an error message citing some problem with my internet connection. Even with 5 bars on 3G (don't even consider Edge.)

The phone will quickly become useless to me if they do not fix it quickly. Well, maybe not useless, but nothing more than a phone that makes calls and text messages. Not exactly what I pay top dollar to AT&T for.

People lose sight of the fact that Apple has always been a 'walled garden' - and it has cost them dearly. For over 25 years now it has been universally accepted that the Apple PC is far superior to the MS/Intel PC; yet Apple's PC marketshare is tiny. The reason is cost. By controlling the hardware, they have kept the price high, which opened the door to sales of the clone PCs at a much lower cost, which in turn made MS the big gorrilla. For some reason at the time nobody saw the irony in Apple's 1984 commercial - the irony being that Apple behaved far more like a 'big brother' than did companies on the MS/Intel side of the fence.

Now we are seeing the same scenario repeated again in the cell phone market. Apple is setting themselves up for a strong competitor (even one that doesn't have as good of a product) kill their market share by being more open and therefore cheaper (maybe Android or Pre?). The only thing stopping this from happening is the behavior of the telcom cartels who also believe in locking their customers in 'dungeons' - something the FCC should be looking at.

It seems that one of the biggest problems is the lack of a wireless standard, so that the industry only competes on cost without a barrier between competing services. Then all of the wireless phones would work on any service.

Today each phone service runs like a monopoly with the barriers of technology and contracts to keep prices high. The FCC should require a standard for service that eliminates the barriers for consumers. This would focus the service providers and phone makers on providing the best service and lowest cost to the consumer.

The elimination of service contracts would also eliminate an additional barrier to price competition. The FCC should ban the contracts or limit to a short (3 months or less) duration with no early cancelation fees.

With a wireless standard and no service contract the industry will compete on price and service without barriers that limit competition. If your carrier provides poor service than you could switch services and keep you phone or purchase a new phone without being tied to one carrier. The current lack of standards and contracts are nothing but a restraint of trade that increases the cost of wireless service.

My iPhone has not been a problem for me and I heartily recommend it to others. AT&T may be an issue for some, but I haven't had a problem. As for the Apps, with so many to pick from I don't care if some get rejected. Half of the ones I've downloaded rarely get used. The ones I do use work just fine. Ever ask yourself what you did before Apps? Surfing the net could faster though...

My wife and I love our iPhone 3G Ses, but the multimedia messaging seems to work perhaps one-third to one-half of the time. A good friend is taking a history seminar back east and is sending us pics of places the seminar group visits. At this point, a shade less than half of the messages don't fail. That is woefully inadequate service. Like other smart phones, the iPhone can do many tasks very well. The question is the service. If I could afford to do so, I would find a way to jail break our phones and hunt for other services. However, I can hardly afford both the risk and the cost. This frustration simply isn't necessary. AT&T needs to refocus on effort and quality of service.

This is nuts. The Iphone is the best device out there. Blackberries fail constantly, Verizon's coverage is spotty, and Windows Mobile just plan sucks. Android is good but not there yet and the palm pre, while don't get me started. The Iphone just works.

I wish that when you write articles like this you should mention the fact that if Verizon had the Iphone right now they would have the same issues as ATT is having. When you add 14 million people onto your network in a very short time span it is going to overwhelm it so I will laugh when the day comes Verizon does get the Iphone and millions of users switch (if that does happen) then Verizons network will be bogged down and all the users will complain again. The cell phone network on any company in the US is far behind most countries and all the networks have this issue. ATT works a lot better in Nor Cal then any other provider, verizon cuts out all the time and I get reception in all areas where verizon phones do not. People really need to understand that this is the case and no matter what provider you are going to use it is going to have issues with this amount of people.

As for the App store go ahead and switch to verizon they have more controls than any other company. They control what is on their devices, remove wifi access, and are much much worse than either Apple or ATT. I have had all three versions of the Iphone and they are the best thing I have ever used.

Plus no-one has ever forced you to buy an Iphone so why did you, because there is nothing better out there and there will never be, so why complain and write all these things if you are never going to follow up and quit it because you will not!!

No ever calls me, I never call anyone else - so I don't talk on the phone much. I missed 3G internet access in a small mountain town over the weekend, otherwise I don't get the fuss. I hear it can be used as a phone but it wasn't my primary reason for getting it. But from what I can tell, I love the iPhone - AT&T, not so much.

I gave back my iPhone and returned to Verizon when the iPhone had NO RECEPTION inside my house in Bethesda. The apps are cute and fun, but it has to perform one basic function: BE A PHONE!!!
Maybe in another year or 2 I'll try again. Until then, I'll stay with my app-limited Blackberry

I own a 1st gen Ipod Touch and I love it. As far as I am concerned, Apple's App Store was a game changer, and the offerings of other companies aren't even in the same galaxy. I hope that will change with time, but so far, not so much...

I would not buy an Iphone, however for love or money. I think being "tethered" to AT&T is an expensive step backwards and it's annoying that a device as elegant as the Iphone has only recently begun to add basic features that other cellphones have had for years. The general dependability of the Verizon network for nationwide travel and features like Vz Navigator will probably keep me a Verizon customer for the time being.